Build a useful investigation brief
Build a state fixture
Create rows or period buckets for no observation, explicit zero, positive value, null measure, and unsupported calculation as applicable. Record expected table cell, chart point, card text, export value, and filter scope for every state.
Follow each state
Capture population after filtering and grouping, aggregate output, missing-value handling, chart data, formatting, and serialized export. Compare source membership with visible output. Mark the first stage that invents zero, suppresses a point, or labels an unavailable result as blank.
Test one display rule
Change only the missing-value policy, such as preserve blank, show no data, or substitute zero under a contract. Rerun the fixture across a card, table, chart, and export. Treat a semantic disagreement as a policy hypothesis until the metric owner confirms the intended reading.
What to carry forward
The investigation is ready when the brief names the state fixture, first semantic collapse, affected surfaces, strongest evidence, and competing display rule. Recommend a scoped measure or presentation correction. Keep the case open when source absence and explicit zero are not observable separately.
Technical background: Metabase documentation.
Keep the decision with the work.
Use a Work Item in Aglet to record the problem, the evidence you have, and the next decision. Add an owner and priority, then keep updates in the discussion so the next person can follow the reasoning.
Create an account See the product workflow